People's Campaign: We don't need Governor's mandate for inquiry

Upon review of Governor George Fergusson’s rejection of the request froms the House of Assembly to appoint a Commission of Inquiry to investigate historic losses in Bermuda of citizen property, The People’s Campaign makes the following statement.

We acknowledge that the Governor is not bound to consent or otherwise acquiesce to requests from the House. Within the purview of the Governor’s authority, he has the right to exercise his duty as he sees fit in terms of his representation of the interests of the Crown and what he considers to be the welfare of Bermudians.

However, when the elected representatives of the people convey a request through the constitutionally established process, it is reasonable to expect that Her Majesty’s servant in Bermuda would respond in a way that gives greater consideration to the need to correct the well-established historic wrongdoings.

Therefore, in light of the aforementioned statement, The People’s Campaign takes the position that the governing One Bermuda Alliance Party and the Progressive Labor Party, having been elected and entrusted by the people of Bermuda, do not need the mandate and/or permission of Her Majesty’s Servant, the Governor, to form a Commission to review this matter.

The House of Assembly operates with a much greater mandate, the mandate from the people of Bermuda. As bearers of the people’s mandate they neither need nor should they seek consent from a non-elected servant of the interests of the Crown. We therefore, support or call for the immediate establishment of a People’s Review Commission of Inquiry into the historic losses of citizen property in Bermuda.